We loved Karon beach. We stayed at the Village Resort and Spa and after a couple of trips to Patong were soooooo glad we stayed here. Patong was too cheap and crazy for us...we live in Bondi and this wasn't too disimilar with a great Aussie style beach my other half surfed at a few times and it was lovely. The food was geat and we went to @ Relax Massage & Nail almost every day and the service and quality of the manicures and massages exceeded every expecation...Julie and the team were great on every level and we highly recommend them!! They're at 79/33 Chaiyapruerk, Soi 2 on the main street of Karon which goes toward the mainland from the round about. We got their card so we could tell freinds and go back next time! Directly opposite was our fave restaurant....no name but it has red and green bright tartan tablecloths and the food is authentic, fresh and delicious! Hope this helps someone!!!

If you want to be alone on a beach in June, then this is your place. If you like to people watch, or have a beach bar around to get food or drinks during the day, then don't go here. The town had very little in the way of entertainment. A handful of bars and resturants packed primarily on one small street near the round-about was about all I could find. If you want a quiet place to go on Phuket Island, this is it. Kata also seemed to be a quiet little town but seemed to have a lot more to do and see. And then there's Patong which is a different story altogether.

We stayed in the Hilton Karon (see other review for full details). We stayed in the rainy season (August) so the sea was not swimmable but our pools were fine for this. I think Kata beach (15 min walk) is swimmable and has more watersports).

However, there is a lovely long sandy beach which was quite quiet and good to walk along.

The resort itself is fairly quiet but there are tailors, supermarkets, bars and restaurants scattered all round the resort so you won't have to walk far for a meal or drink - there are venues for most price ranges. One place I would recommend for great thai food at very good prices is a row of seven small open-fronted restaurants on the beach road. These are about five-ten minutes walk past the Hilton heading in the direction of Kata (south) - you can't miss them. In general, we got a lovely friendly welcome and very tasty thai food at good prices!! Not always so good for Western dishes though but you have to sample the great Thai food. For a nice snack during the day, try Hungry Corner about five minutes south of the Hilton which was fine for our needs.

If you are going further afield a tuk-tuk to Patong will set you back about 200 Baht - they will start at about 350Bt but all but the laziest driver will go down to 200Bt if you barter. This is around £3 or $6 - pricy compared to BKK but seems to be standard for this area. We asked to get taken to the Holiday Inn Patong which is really central - you can then wander from there. The beach road at night is packed with tailors and other hawkers, you really can't move for them which is annoying at times so maybe only shop on a couple of nights, find a nice bar or restaurant to spend some time in for a more peaceful night. Some of the eateries on the strip are really poor, we only ate here twice, only in a great and genuine(!) Italian restaurant and the other time in a really poor mexican/spanish place. Overpriced and poorly cooked. In general, the small Thai places tend to serve the freshest and nicest food!

If you are going further afield, there is not a great deal to see in Phuket town. Only worth a half day if you want to go. Spend time seeing the tourist sites instead as there is not much in Phuket.

Phi Phi island is a bit of a trek but a lovely spot. Would only recommend a day trip (not any longer), most trips will pick you up from the hotel and drop you back off afterwards. We went in a large boat seating about 300 as my girlfriend gets seasick in small boats. If you can afford it though, a speedboat would probably be better as you get closer to the small beaches on the tour around Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Lei.

Siam Safari is also a great experience. We went on a half day trip without lunch for about £15/$30 each. This included an elephant ride, waterbuffalo cart ride (not very long though), seeing and feeding baby elephants and a few other added extras. Well worth the money and I understand this is a good conservation project for the elephants too!!

We also went to see the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project which is a little out the way but was a nice trip. There is not loads to see as they keep some of the Gibbons away from humans. About 10-15 minutes past the GRC there is a nice little waterfall. Worth a walk along the path and pads the trip out too.

During our trip, we also went to Kata Spa for a nice Thai massage. However, guys be warned, even with oil this is very rough and nearly pulled all the hairs in my legs out. Ouch!

You can cram lots into a holiday in Karon or anywhere in Phuket. Karon isn't for everyone, if you want loads of loud in-you-face nightlife then Patong is for you. But if you want somewhere quieter with a nice variety of bars and restaurants, a nice beach and close enough to the bustle of Patong, then Karon is for you.

Enjoy your holiday!

I have travelled to Phuket 8 times, my most recent stay with my husband was Oct 2005. We stayed at the Andaman Seaview this time and once again was a very very nice resort. Karon Beach is swimmable, it is only not swimmiable at certain times of the year. This is the same with most beaches in Phuket. Karon is definitely quiter than Patong, but the beauty is that you can travel to Patong by Tuk Tuk, only about 10 mins drive, but then you can escape back to Karon Beach where it is not so full on as it is in Patong. I always choose to stay on Karon for this reason and if you have children, it is a much wiser choice than Patong. On the other hand, if what you are mainly looking for is nightlife then Patong would be the place for you to stay. Once again, there are plenty of bars, restaurants and shopping on Karon beach, and the option of Kata Beach's restaurants and shopping also.
Karon Beach is a very long stretch of beach and and idyllic place for a relaxing stroll. I can highly recommend any of the following resorts on Karon Beach: The Thavorn Palm Beach; The Andaman Seaview Resort; The Karon Beach Resort; The Karon Seasands Resort; The Crowne Plaza.....and there are many more. We are returning again in October and would not stay on any other beach.